Culinary ramblings of a mischievous cook. Recipes,pictures,diary entries and all things foodie.Follow a journey of life in the east Algarve, Portugal...

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Percebes?

Tu
percebes is the second person singular of the Portuguese verb
perceber,to understand. Do you understand how Percebes(Goose necked
barnacles) come to the dinner table.They are certainly not the best,
most glamorous thing on the fish market slab.Resembling strange
creations from the makers of Doctor Who,they might be a dish served up as
part of a bush tucker trial.Lets face it, there's no pleasure in
watching other people suffer – not even when it's Nadine Dorries. Fully
grown, these tube based crustaceans have a sooty finger-thick trunk with
a
rose-coloured inner tube. At one end is a scaly head that is used to
cling to the granite rocks of
the storm-bashed Iberian coastlines. and at the other a diamond-shaped
foot reminiscent of Jurassic Park. At high tide this foot opens to
reveal tiny pink
tendrils through which the barnacle filters the surrounding seawater to
feed.They thrive in areas that are exposed to the hard lashings of the
Atlantic waves, so the collectors, called percebeiros, have to swim in
wet suits out through choppy seas,clamber
down steep slippery rocks or try to jump from boats bobbing in the rough
sea to
reach them. Once on the rocks the harvester can easily get clobbered by a
breaker or simply slip into the sea. Then there is the problem of what
the fishermen call "percebes greed". Driven by financial gain the
percebeiros risk their lives in pursuit of this bounty.In Spain
(Galicia), particularly in the Christmas season when percebes are the
stars of the
Spanish festive table and the weather is at its worst, these cultivated
barnacles can command whopping
prices of up to 100 euros per kilo (£85) in the market."Blistering
barnacles"Buccaneer Captain Pugwash would have uttered.

Nazaré fisherman in traditional costume

In
Nazaré, just 40 minutes up the coast from Lisbon, Portugal´s most
famous picturesque fishing village,barnacles are much cheaper. Until not
too long ago, Nazaré fishermen were still seen using oxen to pull their
brightly painted boats from the ocean and even today many locals still
wear
their characteristic traditional costumes -- the fishermen have check
shirts
and trousers, and the women wear several layers of petticoats. The
fishing
boats are Phoenician in design with bright colours and eyes painted on
the
vessels, supposedly with the magical power to avert storms,so more
conducive to hunting barnacles.Here, and all down the Silver Coast and
along the more rugged coastline of the West Algarve, a 300g dose
(portion)of goose percebes will set you back just six or seven euros,and
with another five euros for a bottle of the house plonk you can glut
yourself silly for about a fifth what it would cost you in Galicia.These
particular percebes may not be as gloriously rotund as I remember Rick
Stein describing their Galician rivals.They are however every bit as
sweet, so with food of the gods at recessionary prices,who can complain.

If
you want to try them at home and your fishmonger can supply them, here
is a more domestically accessible recipe from El Corte Ingles.As you
cook the barnacles close your eyes and inhale the scent.Imagine you can
smell the rocks.An incredible ozone of the sea will assault your nose
like a tsunami.Strong as Poseidon´s armpit but heavenly like a mermaid´s
burp.Serve your guests with bowls of warm pasta,topped with the
percebes.Hungry hands will be eager and waiting to tear apart the
tightly woven sleeves, unleashing the pure essence of the ocean trapped
within.Not a drop of goodness escapes the barnacle when it´s cooked and
there is a gentle intensity to the flesh similar to octopus, but far
more refined.Even though they are crustaceans they are nothing like
their cousin the mussel,They´re simple pure and the best of the sea
boiled down in a mouthful.

The
ideal serving suggestion is with a bottle Quinta da Aveleda.The grassy
bite of the vinho verde cuts through the sharpness of the Percebes
giving you the perfect match of land and sea surf and turf.Massa com percebes(pictured above)400g de Percebes cozidos (boiled)300g massa (à escolha) pasta of your choice4 dentes de alho,cortado em pedaços - 4 cloves of garlic chopped2 tomates maduros (ripe)azeite q.b. olive oilsal q.b. sea salt to tastepiri piri q.b. Chilli flakessalsa picada q.b. chopped parsley to tasteCook the pasta in salted water. Meanwhile, peel the barnacles, leaving
them standing up like chickens legs. Put a frying pan on the stove with
the olive oil and chopped garlic cloves. Skin the tomatoes, remove them
the seeds and chop them coarsely, adding them to the sauteed garlic.
When the pasta is al dente, drain it and pour it into the skillet along
with the percebes. Add a pinch of chilli to taste and sprinkle with a
tablespoon of chopped parsley.

About Me

I´m a self-taught cook.From my childhood in Scotland through growing up in South East England, my mother was my formative influence. Holidays in Europe, America,Africa and Scandinavia fed me with culinary inspiration. Fifteen years of holidaying in Tavira, led me to up roots and follow the dream to live in Portugal. Here in Castro Marim we run a small guest house, Casa Rosada.Relocation has opened my eyes and taste buds to how recipes and their ingredients can change and develop when incorporated into another country´s food culture and how foreigners like myself adapt the local dishes,bringing a new slant to them.In the last three years I have been researching and cooking traditional Portugueses dishes and then inventing a modern twist to them. I´ve started this food blog so I can share new recipes and a slice of Algarvian life here at Casa Rosada here in Castro Marim.